A Different Sort Of Love
by TararithPeredhil
Summary: Lame title, I know. Originally part of "The Hermes", but since I seem to have deserted that series, I'm going to post this seperately. The new crewmember has a strange relationship...


Title: A Different Sort Of Love

Author: TararithPeredhil

Summary: The newest crewmember's story.

A/N: This whole series is set just before they reset the Matrix. Aeon = the 'One' right before Neo.

* * *

They ate in silence. The newest crewmember stared blankly at her food, while Tel, Enix, Micro, and Macro stared at the girl they had only met an hour ago. 

Micro broke the silence. "So, yer name's Genesis?"

She nodded, and nervously ran her fingers through her short black hair.

"How long have ya been out?"

"Two years," she quietly answered, still staring at her food.

"Any good stories? Like how you were found and released?"

She shrugged. "Just an average one, I guess. I was a hacker, I went looking for answers, and I found them when Somnia found me."

Tel smiled. "Somnia released me, too. She's a great person."

Genesis looked up at her. "Yeah, she is. I expected her to be different, somehow, and then when we found Aeon…" She trailed off.

"You were part of the crew that found Aeon?" Micro interrupted. Genesis nodded. "Very cool. Do you like him?"

"Of course, he's a great guy. Good sense of humor, too."

"No, I mean, do you like him." Micro said as he nudged her and winked.

She blushed. "Of course not. I've got a boyfriend."

Enix raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't think the Council usually separated couples."

She blushed deeper. "It's complicated."

Understanding flashed in Macro's mind. "He's not out, is he?"

She shook her head.

Tel asked, "Is he aware?"

Genesis nodded.

"Why didn't your crew release him then?"

"We tried to. I offered him the pills myself. But then, he told me…" She stopped.

"Go on," Macro encouraged.

Her whole demeanor changed in an instant, from quiet and shy to angry and defensive. She snapped her head around to him. "Just drop it, okay?" she hissed.

He recoiled. "Woah, I didn't mean anything by it, okay? It's dropped."

She fell back to her quietness. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can't tell you."

"Okay, sure."

More silence.

* * *

Genesis sat on the bed in her room, unpacking what few personal belongings she had- a hairbrush, toothbrush, a few changes of clothing, a few pieces of paper covered with writing, drawings, notes. She pulled one of the papers out of the pile and stared at it, a small smile on her face. 

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she called, hastily hiding the paper under her pillow. Macro pushed open the door.

"I came to make sure yer okay," he said.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Ya just seemed a bit tweaked, with all the questions."

"Yeah, well, there are just some things I don't need think I need to share."

He sat next to her. "Are ya sure? Sometimes talkin' 'bout it helps."

"What do you know about it?"

"I've got my own secrets."

She smiled. "How about a trade? Tell me about your love life, and I'll tell you about mine."

He smiled back. "Sounds fair. I've got a crush on Enix."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're gay?"

"Bi."

"Ah. Okay, fair enough."

"Your turn."

She sighed. "This could take a while. It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"All right. This starts two and a half years ago..."

* * *

A girl sat in front of her computer, typing furiously. "Just one more firewall, and..." She triumphantly hit one last key. "I'm in. Now to find it..." She ran a search through the files. She hummed while her computer searched through piles of data for one specific file. "Yes." She smiled when it was found. She copied the file to a disk. Sighing, she closed her connection. 

"Another job well done," she said, popping the disk out of the drive and into a case labeled only with a name. "Now, it's my time."

She logged on to the internet. She saw it was about 9:30 and realized he should be online. She signed in under her online alias, Genesis304, and checked her buddy list.

"Currently online - Neptune01"

She smiled. She and Neptune spent a lot of time talking, over one particular message board and through instant messages. She really felt like she knew him well, even though she had never even seen a picture of him. She decided to make her move tonight. An instant message popped up.

Neptune01: hi there cutie. wink

Genesis304: hey nep. what are you up to?

Neptune01: not much. replying to my mail. you?

Genesis304: yeah, just got off work.

Neptune01: sounds great. rolls eyes

Genesis304: you know, i don't even know where you live.

Neptune01: why's it important?

Genesis304: because if we live close, maybe we could finally meet.

Neptune01: well, okay. but only cause you're so adorable.

Genesis304: you've never seen me, stop making stuff up.

Neptune01: new york city, ny.

Genesis304: i live in nyc too. do you know the club alternate reality?

Neptune01: of course, i almost live there.

Genesis304: i'll meet you there at eleven tonight. how will i recognize you?

Neptune01: my hair is rather... unique. be on the lookout for a guy with blue dreadlocks.

Genesis304: :D great. i'll see you there.

She signed off and shut down her computer just as a knock came at the door. She opened the door a crack.

A man dressed all in black with over twenty piercings stood outside. "Is it ready?"

"You got the cash?"

"Don't I always?" He pushed a wad of money through the door of her apartment, room 304. She grabbed it and closed the door. After counting it and putting it in an old hollowed out cd player, she retrieved the disk from her desk and pushed it through the door. He took it, glanced around, and walked away.

She turned and walked to her bedroom. She would need a lot of time to get ready.

* * *

"You know, Alternate Reality is still there?" Macro asked. 

"I kind of assumed it was," Genesis said. "Can I finish now?"

He sighed. "Fine. I won't interrupt anymore."

"Thank you. Now then, when I got to Alternate Reality..."

* * *

She opened the door of the club, taking in all the atmosphere. It was split into a front room and a back room. Both were about the same size, but were completely different. The front room, known as Reality, had an outdoor, calm feeling in it, and usually had only a few people in it. Most were dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts. One of her favorite parts of Reality was the huge sunset mural behind the bar. The near silence was disturbed only by the loud, thumping rock from the back room, known as Alternate, which was more like a normal club - packed with people in black leather dancing to loud rock. 

She walked to her usual seat at the bar, scanning the room for a man with blue dreadlocks, but not really expecting to find him. She was a half hour early, she always preferred being early to being late. She ordered her usual drink, and turned to the door to watch and wait.

At ten of eleven, a slightly nervous-looking man with long blue dreadlocks walked through the door and toward the bar. She stood and approached him. "Neptune, I presume?"

"Genesis! How are you? You're just as cute as I keep saying, but now I have proof!" he replied, and pulled her into a hug.

She hugged him back, noticing how it didn't feel unnatural, even though she wasn't a very physical person. They pulled apart, each examining the other. He wore a red Reel Big Fish t-shirt, olive green shorts, black sneakers, and a chain strung from one belt loop to his right back pocket. He looked about 27.

"Aw, you're cute too, Nep. So, do you have a real name, or are we sticking to our screen names?"

"Call me Chris."

"I'm Cassandra, but call me Cass."

They walked to the corner booth furthest from the door and sat down. They talked about anything and everything they could think of, neither one touching their drink. Cass noted little things unconsciously, like how her stomach fluttered every time they made eye contact, and how he twisted one dread around his finger over and over.

The club slowly emptied. Eventually, Cass yawned, and Chris finally looked at his watch.

"Oh, jeez, it's three in the morning. We should get back home. How'd you get here?"

"Walked. I don't live far."

"Me too. You want me to walk you home? I wouldn't mind, really."

"Oh, I'll be fine."

He smiled. "I insist."

Won over by his total innocence, she agreed.

"Great, let's go." He stood and helped her to her feet. "You lead the way."

They walked out the door and onto the nearly abandoned sidewalk.

"So, which direction...?"

"Just follow me, you'll be fine." She smiled and started walking. They continued talking as they went, eventually arriving at Cass' apartment.

They stared at each other awkwardly. "Um, do you want to come in?"

"Well, I'd love to, but it's late, and I should get home..."

"If you're sure..."

"Yeah. Er... good night."

As he turned to go, Cass grabbed his shoulder. "Wait."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to meet again tomorrow?" She poured the words out in a hurry, before she could change her mind.

A huge smile broke across his face. "Of course!"

They said their goodnights and hugged. Cass went onto her apartment, casting one last glance back at him as she closed the door.

He turned to make sure she wasn't watching anymore. Then he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked room 307, revealing not an apartment as it usually did, but a long hallway, filled with identical white doors. He walked in and shut the door behind him.

* * *

She fell silent for a moment. 

"Is there anymore to this story, or are ya gonna leave me hangin'?" Macro asked.

"There's not much to tell after this. After a few months of meeting at Alternate Reality, we started dating. We usually went to AR, just because it was familiar territory for us both. Of course, the inevitable happened: Somnia came and offered me the choice. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, choosing freedom over Chris, but I thought I could come back and get him later. Then we could be free together." A sad smile crossed her face. "But when I went back for him, it didn't go according to plan..."

* * *

Genesis knocked on the door quietly, glancing up and down the hallway. She had been to Chris' apartment many times, but never had it been this risky. He opened the door a crack. 

"Cass? Is that you?" She nodded, and he flung the door wide open and pulled her inside. "Where have you been? What happened? What's with the new look?" Instead of her old style of blue jeans and a loose t-shirt, she now wore a tight white tank top, black leather pants, sunglasses, and a long black trenchcoat. Her usually loose short black hair was now black and red, and pulled into tight cornrows. Chris' cat, Hairball, wove between her legs.

"It's a long story and I don't have much time. I need you to make a choice, Chris." She pulled a small wooden box out of her pocket.

His eyes widened at the sight of it. "Oh god, I knew it. You're with them now. Oh, Cass, why?"

She started at his recognition. "How do you know about..."

"About the rebellion? The group of people that have managed to escape the Matrix, and periodically come back, looking for new recruits and The One? Cass, I can't make this choice, because... I just can't."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I physically can't. I'm not... I'm not human, Cass."

She stumbled back a step and dropped the box. "What?"

"Did they tell you about Exiles?"

"No..."

"They... well, we're programs that used to serve a purpose, and were deleted for one reason or another. A newer version made us obsolete, or one just starts malfunctioning... whatever the case, we're given a choice. We can go back to The Source, which is in effect, dying, or we can come back to the Matrix and live as Exiles of the system. We have no purpose, just to exist."

Genesis collapsed onto the couch. "You're not real."

"I am real. I have a life, thoughts, emotions..."

"You're not real."

"God, Cass, how can I make you understand? I'm not some heartless Agent, I'm Chris."

She buried her face in her hands. "No."

He grabbed her wrists. "I'm not who I was long ago. Yes, once I was N3P7-VN31, programmed only to make sure ocean currents ran the right direction, but now I'm Chris. I can't live without coffee. I like walking in the rain. And I love you, Cass. Don't push me away because of what I used to be." She looked up at him, and it broke his heart to see the tears in her eyes.

He picked up the small box and pulled out the blue pill. He handed her the box still containing the red pill. "Here. Take this back to Somnia. Tell her I didn't want to leave. I'll destroy the blue pill, I know what it would mean if an Agent found it. Please, if you still feel anything for me, you won't tell her I'm an Exile. If anyone found out... Let's just say the Agents don't only hunt rebels."

She pocketed the box and walked toward the door, as if in a trance. She shut the door behind her.

Chris stared at the door for a while, then collapsed heavily onto his couch. He pulled Hairball on to his lap. "That went better than expected," he told his cat. Then he burst into tears.

* * *

Genesis sniffed. "I can't believe I did that to him. He was so nice... and he didn't freak out over my becoming a rebel, why should I have condemned him for his choice?" 

"He lied to ya, it was a natural reaction."

"Still... Eventually we made up. I snuck into an internet café to write him an apology email, and he answered, so then I just kept changing the location I wrote from. Somnia never found out, that's one of the advantages of being friends with the operator. I've only seen Chris once since then, and I'm not even sure if that was him. There was a huge gun fight; Somnia, three others of our crew, five people from the Insomniac, and I against three Agents. We were doing alright for a while, but of course the tide changed. Five rebels down, and all three Agents were fine. But then... three precise shots from behind the Agents. Each one took a bullet in the head and went down. No one else noticed anything, but I could have sworn I saw Chris disappear around the corner."

"Weird."

"It did seem strange that he was there just as we were in trouble, but maybe it was a coincidence. I never mentioned it to him." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"I guess."

They fell into silence, each just thinking.

"Do you want to see something?" she asked.

"Sure."

She reached under her pillow and pulled out the paper she had hidden earlier. She passed it to him.

"This is Chris. I drew it a while ago, but it's really dear to me."

"Gen?"

"Yeah, Macro?"

"Thanks for trusting me enough to tell and show me this stuff."

She smiled. "What are friends for?"

* * *

A:N: I love this chapter. It's been in my head for so long, it's great to have it written out and looking the way I want it to. I love this feeling... Please review! 


End file.
